Evaluation of Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) in Anemic Goats

Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) measures the degree of anisocytosis in an erythrocyte population and was expressed as the coefficient of variation of the erythrocyte size distribution data. In recent studies, RDW has been evolved as a new predictive marker and as an independent risk factor in assessing the severity and progression of disease conditions. The data regarding RDW in goats was found lacking particularly in conditions like anemia. Methods: The study was conducted at Veterinary Clinical Complex, VCRI Orathanadu. The EDTA blood samples from suspected cases were collected and analyzed by Veterinary specific automated hematology analyzer. During the study goats with hemoglobin values lesser than and or equal to 8.0 g/dl were selected to evaluate the RDW alterations in them. Result: The Red cell distribution width was found elevated (36.94±0.29%) in anemic goats when compared to the healthy reference. The data of the Red cell distribution width in goats was recorded and statistically analysed.